Global Democracy Dashboard

Visualizing Democracy in the World

Visualize data. Explore the interactive charts. Interpret the results. Answer the questions.

156 Countries

14 Variables

PDF Format

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Welcome to the Global Democracy Dashboard

In this activity, you’ll explore how democracy relates to economic development, religion, gender equality, social diversity, and demographic factors across countries. Using an interactive dashboard built from real-world data, you’ll identify patterns, test competing theories, and evaluate the strength of different explanations for democratic outcomes.

This is not just about analyzing charts — it’s about thinking like a social scientist: asking good questions, finding relevant evidence, and making sense of complex global realities.

By the end of the session, you’ll have:

Investigated how democracy varies around the world
Formulated and tested hypotheses about its causes
Created a short, evidence-based report with your conclusions

Now scroll down and start exploring the data. What stories does it tell?

Interactive Dashboard

Source Data

Instructions

PHASE I: Group Exploration and Brainstorming (60 minutes)

Activity 1: Initial Data Exploration (20 minutes)

Format: Groups of 4-5 students

Task: Each group explores the interactive dashboard and dataset to get familiar with the variables and visualizations.

Group Discussion Points: - What is the range of democratic scores across countries? - Which regions show the highest/lowest democratic performance? - What socioeconomic variables are included in the analysis? - What patterns do you immediately notice in the visualizations?

Activity 2: Hypothesis Brainstorming (25 minutes)

Format: Same groups

Task: Groups will discuss and evaluate the plausibility of different hypotheses about democracy. Consider these competing explanations:

Hypothesis A: Economic Development Theory “Countries with higher levels of economic development (measured by HDI) are more likely to be democratic.”

Hypothesis B: Cultural/Religious Theory “Democratic governance is more compatible with certain religious traditions than others.”

Hypothesis C: Social Cohesion Theory “Countries with lower ethnic fractionalization develop more stable democratic institutions.”

Hypothesis D: Gender Equality Theory “Societies with greater gender equality are more likely to sustain democratic governance.”

Hypothesis E: Demographic Transition Theory “Countries with older populations (higher percentage of 65+) tend to have more established democracies.”

Group Discussion: - Which hypotheses seem most plausible based on your initial exploration? - What evidence from the visualizations supports or challenges each hypothesis? - Are there countries that seem to contradict these theories?

Activity 3: Hypothesis Prioritization (15 minutes)

Format: Groups present to class

Each group briefly presents (2 minutes): - Which 2 hypotheses they find most compelling and why - One specific piece of evidence from the dashboard - One country that seems to challenge their preferred hypothesis

PHASE II: Individual Analysis (100 minutes)

Task Overview

You will now work individually to produce a PDF report that answers specific research questions about democracy and its determinants. Use the interactive dashboard, correlation matrix, and dataset to support your analysis.

Research Questions to Answer

Question 1: Economic Development and Democracy (20 minutes)

What is the correlation coefficient between HDI and democratic scores? Describe the relationship.
Identify one country with high HDI but low democracy and one country with low HDI but moderate/high democracy. Why might these cases deviate from the expected pattern?
Based on your analysis, how strongly does the evidence support Hypothesis A?

Question 2: Religion and Democratic Governance (20 minutes)

Using the “Religion and Democracy” visualization, which religious group shows the highest median democratic score? Which shows the lowest?
Identify two countries from the same religious group that have very different democratic scores. What might explain this variation?
How strongly does religion appear to determine democratic outcomes? Justify your assessment.

Question 4: Gender Equality and Democratic Development (15 minutes)

Describe the relationship in the “Democracy and Gender Inequality” scatter plot. What is the correlation coefficient?
Identify one region that performs well on both democracy and gender equality, providing specific country examples.
How compelling is gender equality as an explanation for democratic governance?

Question 5: Multiple Factors Analysis (10 minutes)

Which two hypotheses receive the strongest empirical support? Justify with specific evidence.
Based on the correlation matrix, identify one additional variable (not in the main hypotheses) that shows a strong correlation with democracy.

Report Format

Length: Maximum 4 pages (excluding references)
Format: PDF document
File Name: Surname1_Surname2.pdf
Structure: Organized by research questions (clearly labeled Q1, Q2, etc.)
Citations: Reference specific visualizations and data points

Required Elements

Direct answers to all sub-questions
Specific evidence from visualizations (country names, correlation coefficients)
Clear, concise reasoning
Professional formatting

EVALUATION CRITERIA (10 Points Total)

Data Interpretation and Evidence (4 points): Accurately interprets all visualizations and provides specific, relevant evidence (correlation coefficients, country names, data points)
Analysis and Critical Thinking (3 points): Makes sophisticated connections between variables; recognizes patterns and exceptions; considers alternative explanations
Country Examples and Case Analysis (2 points): Chooses highly relevant examples with insightful explanations for outlier cases
Writing and Organization (1 point): Clear, well-organized responses that directly answer all questions; proper formatting

Submission

Upload your PDF report to Studium until the end of the session. Ensure your file is named correctly and includes all required elements.